acne

Ah, our skin. We finally get our zits/dry patches/insert your issue here under control then BAM. The seasons change and it all goes to hell. I’m certain that somehow our hormones get involved but I’m no doctor so that’s just guesswork. But I always feel like when our skin goes haywire, hormones are somehow involved. But I’ve been able to clock major breakouts with the change of seasons for years now, and I am SO OVER IT.

I GIVE UP

My most recent skin mania episode had me digging through my mountains of skincare supplies. I’d tried the usual suspects – benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, sulphur – you name it. Nothing was helping. My Consonant DHE Mask has been helping, but I needed more. Something important to remember when you have acne or break out prone skin is that it’s not just too much oil and hormones that cause this condition. It’s also sensitivity. It took me years to figure out that beating my skin into submission with tough love wasn’t going to help. I realized this – finally – after my millionth facial. Because every single facial (with extractions – ouch!) I’ve had has resulted in breakouts. Wax my brows? Cystic acne. Scrub, steam and massage for an hour? Acne. My skin needs a gentle touch.

Well, dear readers, there was hope lurking in my stash.

Consonant Organic Foaming Face Wash: I decided that I would start with using a super gentle cleanser on my skin. Everything I’ve used from Consonant to date just feels wonderful and soothing on my skin, and their Organic Foaming Face Wash also feels great. It has an air infused pump to make it foamy, vs sulphates, so it’s perfect for those with sensitivities. But even better than that, it cleanses my face beautifully and gently. My face looks and feels clean, and never tight or dry. No wonder this is an award winner! From their site:

Osmia Organics Facial Calibration Serum: I’ve talked before about using oils on oily facial skin – seems counterintuitive, yet there is a wisdom there. I love the feel of a beautiful high quality oil preparation on my face. You can almost feel your skin thank you as it drinks up the nutrients and moisture. The description of the Facial Calibration Serum on the Osmia Organics website says:

A select combination of plant oils, chosen for their balancing qualities, helps skin become more even and smooth, and assists in regulating sebum production. Olive squalane, kukui oil, and macadamia oil nourish the skin, and calming schisandra fruit extract soothes irritation. Super powered acai delivers an antioxidant boost, and organic black seed oil brings a vitamin and mineral infusion. Absorbs quickly, and does not leave the skin oily. In fact, used regularly, this face serum can help oily skin behave itself, and combination skin become less confused. The scent is mildly herbaceous, with the subtle spicy undertones of black cumin seed oil.

Well, my skin was confused AND misbehaving, so I started using the Facial Calibration Serum at night, and I’m glad I did. It recommends applying it to damp skin, and seriously, you only need a few drops to cover your whole face. I wake up with soft glowy skin that you’d never guess has been to hell and back. This serum has been added to my emergency skin care arsenal and I can’t imagine being without it.

Finally, my skin seems to be recovering. My breakouts and eruptions are stopping, and my face is healing. Hallelujah!

Consonant Skincare is available on their website, and you can find retailers here. Osmia Organics is US based skincare company and you can purchase their products on their website.

I have mentioned La Roche Posay Cicaplast in passing, which isn’t really fair. It is a miraculous product I can’t be without and deserves a solid mention. Cicaplast was created to deal with several different skin irritations like dry patches, chapped skin, and skin that is tender and healing post-dermatological procedures like peels and resurfacing. I use it for skin injuries- most recently my daughter badly sliced her foot on a broken OPI nail polish bottle (beware!) and we have been using Cicaplast to speed healing, reduce scarring and relieve the itching that comes with healing skin. The thing I use it for most often though is healing acne blemishes that have been picked ruptured. A sore pimple is bad enough and can take ages to heal. Once it scabs up it becomes almost impossible to camouflage with concealer, and may even have dry flaky skin around it due to any drying acne treatments one may have used. Well, Cicaplast to the rescue. I use this nightly on healing acne pimples to speed up the process and see a dramatic difference in healing time. It is soothing and comforting and easy to apply thanks to it’s silky smooth texture. Cicaplast also makes a perfect “primer” for a healing pimple before applying concealer. It creates a soft smooth canvas as well as soothing the poor spot.

Here is what La Roche Posay says about Cicaplast – which is concise and to the point.

Cicaplast accelerates reconstruction of the skin barrier thanks to a formula that combines: - A copper/zinc/manganese mineral complex to stimulate the production of new cells, - Madecassoside to encourage proper cell organisation and procure fast, high-quality epidermal repair, - Its insulating texture is enriched in anti-bacterial agents to protect the skin. Invisible and non sticky, with easy spreading. This soothing, moisturizing treatment relieves itchiness and tight sensations.Paraben-free formula.

I get La Roche Posay at my drugstore for under $20- a tube used on spots and injuries will last ages. Like, so far I’ve had it a year and it’s not finished yet. Verdict? A must-have.

I recently got my hot little hands on a sample of Skinceuticals Blemish & Age Defense after a friend told me it was recommended to her by Gee Beauty (one of my favourite shops & experts in all things Skinceuticals). We have similar skin types, and she really like this product. Well, I’m sold.

I don’t know if I can blame the planets for my zits…but I will anyways.

Skinceuticals Blemish & Age Defense is a serum chock full of ingredients that fight acne & oil, help maintain even skin tone, and to refine the surface of the skin. It decongests pores while it reduces acne bacteria. I loved it within 3 days of using every night at bedtime. Then, as is my wont, or perhaps the curse of a beauty blogger, I turned to another product. Bad idea. Almost within 24 hours my skin broke out. Distracted by many things, I just figured it was something else (Mercury Retrograde? Can it cause zits?) and went about my business, which is ADD skincare and cosmetic use. A few nights ago, the Skinceuticals B&A serum caught my eye and I thought “Hey I should use this again”. Lo and behold, it’s already working it’s magic. My pores are less noticeable, and my skin feels smoother and radiant when I wake up. If my skin feels a bit sensitive, I use it with the Skinceuticals Phyto-Corrective Gel serum, for a perfect combination and lovely skin. I am still using my Vichy proEVEN lotion during the day, and can’t imagine being without it, either.

I’m such a magpie with beauty products. There is always a new sparky one that catches my eye and off I run, chasing a new holy grail. I am oily skinned and acne prone, which has always seemed quite unfair, especially when one is, ahem, over forty. My younger daughter is going through the acne roller coaster now: antibiotics- ineffective, retin A- hard to tell. Now she is trying ProActiv and so far so good. Before the ProActiv though we were away and a monster zit reared its head. She was desperate so I got her the old cult fave, Mario Badescu Drying Lotion. You know- the one that looks like Pepto Bismol and smells like, well, Buckley’s Cough Medicine or Pine Sol. But it worked on that evil zit and made it into the arsenal of Zit Busters.

I don’t know why, but over the past few weeks my skin decided to freak out and treat me to some lovely cystic acne around my mouth. Maybe the weather? Who knows. Cysts are evil and almost always rooted in hormones which makes them very hard to treat. In a fit of pique and desperation, I busted out the Drying Lotion, gave it a shake, dabbed with a q tip and hoped for the best….

So, what happened? It worked! It kept the monster that was growing at bay for 2 days by using it at night. Day 3 it started to shrink and by Day 4- today- it is gone! My skin is a tad dry where I applied the lotion, but I would rather have a dry patch than a monster zit or, worse, a scar. The interesting thing is how many people swear by this product and how effective it is. Yet when I looked it up on Beautypedia, it is dismissed as a nothing product with nothing in it that could ever ever ever help with acne. Good thing I read this after buying it and using it successfully or I might have believed it.

Thank you Mario Badescu Drying Lotion! I will never doubt your magical abilities again! Available wherever Mario Badescu is sold for around $17.